When in Morocco, be sure to bring your wardrobe from the J. Crew Collection.

Nothing says "I care about other cultures" more than an understated, yet chic, yellow dress. I'm sure that is what what this guerrab (or water man, according to the "Inside Secret" note in the upper left part of the page) is thinking.

Actually, the guy's hat is pretty cool. Perhaps she could make this an accessory...a future item in the J. Crew Collection?

Saturday, June 28, 2008

If you're like me--and I know you are--you're really sick of all of the erectile dysfunction and male enhancement drug commercials on television. I have nothing against products like Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, since I am aware that they can help men with legitimate health issues. (Although I think it's a dirty shame that so much money and energy have been thrown at these kind of drugs, and research into less "sexy" illnesses are relatively slow in getting researchers' and the FDA'sserious attention...but then again, the people who have most of the power are guys, right?) But there are just some places that I don't want to go with these commercials.Take, for instance, the insipid Viva Viagra ad campaign, especially the commercials where a bunch of guys are sitting around singing about their pharmaceutically-induced erections. Do we really have to be a witness to these embarrassing episodes of "male bonding"? I'm sure you've already had the displeasure of seeing at least one of these, but if you haven't, then take a soggy gander:

And this isn't even the worst one. A "Viva Viagra" commercial that leaves me feeling even more oily is the "Nashville" one, where a bunch of rednecks are sitting around hunkering down on a country version of the ad song. You can probably find that one, and all of the other weaselly Viagra commercials, at the Viagra video page.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

For the past year of so, the Kellogg company has been using John McEnroe in an ad campaign for their All-Bran cereal. If you've seen any of these commercials on TV, you know what I'm talking about: McEnroe comes up to people who are apparently blocked up, and he extols the wonders of All-Bran cereal and how it's made his life "regular." Now don't get me wrong, I like John McEnroe, and I've appreciated his ironic presence in various pop cultural outlets over the past several years (one of my favorites is his appearance in episode 5 from the sixth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, "The Freak Book"). Still, there's just something disturbing about any links between McEnroe and my bowels.

I remember when they first inaugurated this "All-Bran Day 10-Day Challenge" campaign. On Yahoo you could find an ad banner with his bouncing disembodied head--and disembodied McEnroe heads advertising bran are always funny--telling you about the bunghole challenge.

As if all of this weren't disturbing enough, on the All-Bran Day 10 Club's official Website, McEnroe shared some of his own experiences on All-Bran as a path to a clean life. Among his 10-day disclosures are these:

Day 2: "Who knew No. 2 could feel this good."

Day 3: "Personally, I feel better when I let it all out."

Day 5: "In this case, out is the right call."

I don't believe McEnroe's own tips and inspirations are still up on the site anymore, but visit the All-Bran Day 10 Club to see how others are free to move about the cabin.

Once again, my good friend Al Wirtes provides me with some frightening Gallery goodness. This one is from a recent Toscanocatalog for a lawn ornament called "The Dweller Below."

I guess this was a crackerjack attempt by the artist, Liam Manchester, to shelter other children from a condition that apparently he suffered from as a kid: a debilitating fear of the boogeyman. And what better way to do that than this lawn sculpture.

The real gem comes in what's on the back of the bag. Uncle Ray--and for some reason, images of a chubby but psychologically disturbed relative came to mind as I typed that--apparently includes mini-narratives on the back of his bags of chips. I'm not sure what to make of this, other than an overwhelming need to share personal stories when no one asks. Do you think that an unhealthy, overweight guy shoving chips in his pie hole really cares about the life and times of Uncle Ray?

Click on the image above to read Uncle Ray's narrative. And while you're at it, take a good long look at his picture. Does this guy ooze persuasiveness?

Here's this week's Annoying J. Crew Model of the Week. It's from an older catalog, but still just as annoying as ever. What the hell is this guy doing sitting out in the street reading a paper? Doesn't he see that car coming up in the background?

I'm sure we're all used to the many ways in which religion is processed and packaged to sell us anything from underwear to wars on terror. But I would be remiss if I didn't bring to your attention the sorely overlooked market involving our olfactory senses.

Ah, yes! I couldn't think of a better way of expressing my beliefs than dangling this little baby from my car's rear view mirror. Nothing says piety better than that!

And what's with the "Keep away from children" caveat on the back of the package? Didn't Jesus ask everyone to come to him as children?

This is the guarantee from the back of the package of Pelican Product's MityLite flashlight. I guess that shark bites, bear attacks, and children under five years old all present comparable dangers. If you're a parent, you know this may indeed be true.

Also, I really wonder about keeping that "O" ring greased. Sounds like a euphemism for something sordid.

The fact that this is a coffee creamer isn't really that funny, but the product name is so damned weird I just had to showcase it. I'm not sure I want to put something with the word "chum" in my mouth.

Special thanks to Gallery fan Scott Gilford who sent this package to me.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Much thanks to Janine Chiappa McKenna, who found this sign in the Hunan Palace, located on Vermont Ave. in Washington, D.C. When in that neighborhood, stop by and enjoy a meal. And tell them the Gallery of the Absurd sent you!

You know, the thing that gets me about this sign isn't so much the fact that guns, donuts, and pizza are all given equal billing (although the word "guns" is definitely bigger). It's the "terrier" part that makes me wonder. Here is what Mike has to say: "Not sure whether 'wash a terrier' is a dog grooming salon or a crazy misspelling of 'washateria.'" Which do you believe, Mr. and Ms. Blogger?

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Here's something from several years ago. This is a different kind of advertisement, one that's part of a uniform.

This picture comes from my friend, Al Wirtes (that's him on the right), who found this dude in the Hard Rock McDonalds, across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe on Ontario Street in Chicago. My question here is this: why is he MacMan if he's working at a McDonalds? What is he, more Scottish? Looks it to me.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

I don't know about you, but there's something about the latest Six Flags ad campaign that scares me. First off, I'm a little unnerved by this guy's disembodied head screaming at us on the TV screen. (And for me, at least, there's something about disembodied floating heads in advertising that is inherently unsettling.)

But perhaps what is even more disturbing are the potential cultural messages underlying this advertisement. Is it just me, or might there be a bit of racism embedded in these Six Flags commercials? Judge for yourself. Here are a couple of recent Six Flag commercials I found on YouTube:

There's just something wrong here. The monosyllabic loud utterances (as if it were Tourette syndrome), the lack of verbal agility, and the frighteningly simplistic look on this guy's face just send the wrong message. Might we have here the inkling of a stereotype? It's almost as if I expect this dude to yell "You die, Joe!" at any minute. Why, in a commercial like this, use an Asian face to yell this stuff? This is not really a matter of political correctness; it's one of stupidity.

Of course, it's not as if Six Flags doesn't have a history of using certain social communities in a "funny" way to sell their product. Remember the old guy from their commercials a few years ago?

The aged, Asian Americans....I can't wait to see who Six Flags showcases next year! Perhaps the homeless?

Friday, June 13, 2008

From the people that brought you Shnookums & Meat. This is an older product from Franco-American that is no longer around, I think. What a loss. Bringing the psychologically disturbing world of Barnum and Bailey right to your dinner table!

Believe it or not, when I featured this image in the original Gallery of the Absurd, it inspired the the first and only Official Circus-O's Homepage, something created and maintained by a guy named Jon Abbott. The cultural implications of this event were staggering, and it still gives me the willies just thinking about it. I wonder whatever happened to Mr. Abbot and his madcap romp on the Web?

Honda has a new ad campaign going on right now for their 2008 Element. This is a series of commercials and print ads that are supposed to be both cute and clever (I guess). And because nature and a variety of animal images are involved in the campaign, the Honda motor company can evoke two current much-valued, yet potentially contradictory, buyer impulses: the desire to drive a rugged outdoorsy set of wheels that can go anywhere and the desire to own an eco-friendly vehicle. (Even the name, "Element," conjures images of goodness, greenness, and the natural world.)

Like the car or no, there are some of their ads that make me wonder. Like the one below. This is a print version of a video ad (that can be found on their Website) that just doesn't jibe. I know that the gist of this exchange between the parrot and the Element is supposed to be that the latter actually has a 270-watt stereo, which the parrot obviously does not. But if the car is the one who is speaking first in each of these panels, and the parrot is only parroting what the car says, and nothing more, then why is he silent in the last panel? Isn't a parrot going to parrot whatever is said to it, regardless of logic and believability? Why can't the parrot ask the Element--before the Element asks the parrot--if it has the 270-watt stereo, to which the car could answer, "Well certainly, my fine feathered friend...and potential buyer reading this ad!"? Of course the parrot doesn't have the stereo, but isn't there a more clever way to make this point in an purportedly clever ad? Maybe I'm just thinking about this too much, but the ad just doesn't work for me.

Just who is this Gallery guy?

The Gallery of the Absurd is a repository of weird--but real--advertisements, labels, and signs. It began in 1996 as a simple website of scanned images and sarcastic commentary, featuring such specialty pages as "The Annoying J. Crew Model of the Week," "The Arch Deluxe Hate Page," "Clowns Are Scary," and "Jenny McCarthy, Enough Is Enough!" Due to massive audience feedback and contributions, The Gallery quickly grew in popularity, winning the 1997 Webby Award in the "Weird" category. After a brief hiatus, it is back as a blog, so folks can now easily get their daily fix of the warm and creamy goodness that is contemporary marketing.